A Fun Way to Help Children Appreciate Diversity [PRINTABLE]

I made this Despite Our Differences Worksheet in order to provide a fun and interactive way to help my children understand and appreciate diversity. I wrote about my passion for the topic, here, a few years back but thought it would be cool to have something tangible to work with.

I know even hearing the word “diversity” can trigger a flood of emotions in some of us. It’s a word that’s been used, at times, to politicize sensitive topics. But my hope is, regardless of the emotions attached to the word, we can teach our children to identify the strengths and unique qualities in others regardless of their skin color, religious beliefs, political preferences, cultural views, or orientation.

I want our kids to be fascinated not only by the earth but the diverse people that inhabit it. I want them to be unafraid to ask questions and seek to genuinely understand what informs the views, ideologies, communication styles, and traditions of those they rub shoulders with.

While we are wired to seek out people who are just like us, I want our kids to learn to be gracious and patient with those who look, think or act differently than them. And I want them to default to seeing others through a positive lens even if they don’t quite understand all the nuances that go into making up an individual.

Despite Our Differences Worksheet for Children

The Despite Our Differences Worksheet begins by providing kids an opportunity to express themselves through art by drawing pictures of themselves as well as someone who’s different than them. Next they’ll get to write about specific ways in which they are the same, ways which they’re different and lastly what their favorite thing is about that person.

I genuinely hope the Despite Our Differences Exercise will help you in your effort to teach your children that our differences aren’t something they should be afraid to notice or talk about, but something that makes the world more dynamic, full and interesting!

TAKE ACTION: Look for opportunities to nurture a love of diversity in your children. Make sure they know it’s safe to ask you questions about differences they notice in others. Maybe share a story of your own about how someone, who’s quite different from you, has been a good friend or how you’ve added to each other’s lives.